AUGUST WORKDAY
August 5th will be our next workday. If you're available, I hope you will join us. Those of you who sew or serge, please bring your machines and basic sewing supplies, including extra bobbin(s), seam ripper, sharp scissors, etc. I'll bring thread and other supplies. We'll be at Our Sewing Room from 10:30 until about 4:30 or 5:00.
Remember, last month I said that July 1st (our workday) was National Underwear Day?
I'm happy to report that we all wore underwear as we worked that day, but am sorry to say that I marked it down on my calendar as the first Saturday of the wrong month! I was a month early! So, please join us August 5th to celebrate National Underwear Day 2017. And happily, stores are starting to put their undies on sale this month!
Remember, last month I said that July 1st (our workday) was National Underwear Day?
I'm happy to report that we all wore underwear as we worked that day, but am sorry to say that I marked it down on my calendar as the first Saturday of the wrong month! I was a month early! So, please join us August 5th to celebrate National Underwear Day 2017. And happily, stores are starting to put their undies on sale this month!UNDIES!!
If you are wanting to help change a girl's life - give her a Days for Girls feminine hygiene kit. If you want to delight her- give her some brand new underwear. Each Days for Girls kit we distribute has two pairs of undies.
Many of these girls don't have a single pair of underwear before we show up. Can you imagine??
Many of these girls don't have a single pair of underwear before we show up. Can you imagine??
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Right now Walmart has their girls' underwear on sale at back-to-school prices (Fruit of the Loom 12-packs are $5.97)! Fifty cents a pair is typically the best price of the year. (We use briefs in girls' sizes 10-16). The downside is that almost all the colors in many of the packs are TOO LIGHT!
Don't get me wrong, for my granddaughter, I like these pastels much better than what FotL has offered before, but they will need to be dyed for DFG kits, to better hide stains! The good news is that none of these briefs have faces or other taboo designs! Larger Walmart stores are also offering 17-packs of briefs, but not the Eugene store.
Target's packs of briefs are also on sale, but not this cheap yet. In the past, they've had the 12-packs for just under $6.00 too, so I assume that's coming soon.
But Target's wonderful Room Essentials 8-packs of washcloths are currently marked way down--you might want to pick up some of those in dark colors.
As usual, donations can always be brought to one of our workdays or left at Our Sewing Room for me. Be a part of changing a girl's life!
JULY WORKDAY AND OUR RAFFLE
At our July 1st gathering, many of us worked on making quilt blocks out of strips of fabric leftover from making shields and bags. The blocks are looking so cheerful as we put them together.
Here are some of the blocks on the design wall. It's made from strips of mostly leftovers from cotton donated for our bags and shields. Happy, eh?
Do you have some occasions where you could sell tickets? Once the quilt is completed, and we're ready to roll, I'll give out tickets and photos and a list of prizes so you can have them available if you are talking to somebody who's interested. Think about friends, family members, work, your clubs--Rotary, Lions, PEO, bunco, bridge, music, etc., and faith groups. Post it on your Facebook page and any bulletin boards you have access to. Do you volunteer somewhere else? There might be people there interested in supporting DFG with ticket purchases. If you have a group event, let me know if you'd like to take the quilt with you to display.
THIRD SUNDAY OFFERING--WOW!
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene gives 100% of the offering collected on the 3rd Sunday of each month to a nonprofit. In June, they had me as their guest. I was given a couple of minutes to explain to the group what Days for Girls does (luckily I was able to write up something for their newsletter too). The members of the congregation very generously donated over $800 to our chapter!! Our sincere thanks to all these caring people!
NEW SOLUTIONS IN INDIA
In India, most girls in impoverished rural areas miss school each month when they have their periods. Twenty-three percent end their education at the onset of their menses. There are so many long-lasting repercussions from this. For the females fortunate enough to have discretionary income that allows them to buy disposables, they then must deal with the issue of disposal--throw in the street, burn (emitting toxic fumes), or? Read in the MIT Technology Review how an Indian-American MIT graduate and banana trees are making a difference.CHALLENGES IN INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA
Embarrassment, plumbing issues, cost, lack of health education and privacy--they all are working against these girls in Western Australia. This is not the first time The Guardian has written about menstrual issues that challenge impoverished girls and women. Impressive continuing coverage.
A REPORT FROM A SIERRA LEONE DISTRIBUTION:
We distributed 65 DfG kits to Bumpe High School girls. Before the distribution, I went through the AWH Flipchart with 203 girls. Health educations on Sexually Transmitted Infections were taught by a health worker to these girls and 40 senior boys. Next week, we will be distributing 35 more kits.
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It was a great programme!! I couldn’t imagine how fascinated and
excited all the girls were to receive the kits. We had to fold 65 bits
of papers and mark them as ‘DfG’ which was the winning pick and
another set (138) with ‘Later’ mark which means you will receive DfG
kit later. I placed all the folded bits of papers in a box and allow
each girl to pick one. The 65 that picked the folded paper with DfG,
won. If I had not done this, there was no way I was going to control
the crowd – as every girl wanted a kit. After the winners were given
their kits, three girls came like three eagles on one prey to take
away the sample I had on my table. The girls needed the kits so much
that I can’t imagine.
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For the past 5 years I have been running educational programmes, honestly, this is the most exciting programme I have ever had. These girls appreciated every single thing in the kit. We spent 6 hours in the hall and I didn’t notice any girl nodding or sleeping.
excited all the girls were to receive the kits. We had to fold 65 bits
of papers and mark them as ‘DfG’ which was the winning pick and
another set (138) with ‘Later’ mark which means you will receive DfG
kit later. I placed all the folded bits of papers in a box and allow
each girl to pick one. The 65 that picked the folded paper with DfG,
won. If I had not done this, there was no way I was going to control
the crowd – as every girl wanted a kit. After the winners were given
their kits, three girls came like three eagles on one prey to take
away the sample I had on my table. The girls needed the kits so much
that I can’t imagine.
Close
For the past 5 years I have been running educational programmes, honestly, this is the most exciting programme I have ever had. These girls appreciated every single thing in the kit. We spent 6 hours in the hall and I didn’t notice any girl nodding or sleeping.
I recommend the adding of 2 or 4 rubber hanging clips to the kit. With
that, hanging liners and shield in the sun will prevent falling on the
ground. This will prevent germs and another washing of the shield or
liner.
REALLY, INDIA? 12%? REALLY?
Pretty bangles are considered essential, but feminine hygiene supplies? Nope.
CNN tells about the new tax that was passed in India.
CNN tells about the new tax that was passed in India.
BUT IN SCOTLAND . . .
A new program in Scotland will provide free sanitary products to low-income girls and women in an effort to end period poverty! This initiative makes it the first known country with a national government-sponsored effort to ensure access to free menstrual hygiene for those in need. A six-month pilot of the program, which will take place in Aberdeen and will support at least 1,000 girls and women, will distribute pads through secondary schools, a college, and non-profit organizations dedicated to helping lower income women. “It is unacceptable that any woman or girl in Scotland should be unable to access sanitary products,” says Equalities Secretary Angela Constance. “The pilot in Aberdeen is a first step to help us understand the barriers women and girls face -- and to help us develop a sensitive and dignified solution to making these products easily accessible to those who need them.”
Activists in Scotland have been working to raise awareness of period poverty and the effects that it can have on girls and women’s futures. “Over a woman's lifetime, sanitary products cost on average more than £5,000 [over $6,500], a significant sum for those on low-income,” says Dave Simmers, the chief executive of Community Food Initiatives North East. “Many cannot afford them and may use inappropriate methods or miss school.” Tina Leslie, a public health worker, added "If you have a mum with two teenage girls, that's a lot of money each month when you're on zero-hours contracts, benefits or low income." One teen girl in Leeds, UK recently told the BBC how she managed when she didn't have access to sanitary products: “I once sellotaped tissue to my underwear. I didn’t know what else to do.”
The Educational Institute of Scotland, Scotland’s largest teaching union, has also found that a lack of access to menstrual products can results in students missing school and college classes. By providing products for free -- and making them available through schools -- the Scottish government hopes to improve women’s health while also encouraging them to continue education that may help them earn higher, more stable incomes in the future. And, while many applaud the pilot program, others, such as Scottish Parliament Member Monica Lennon, assert that national action is needed: “A pilot scheme is a welcome step in the right direction but we must go much further to help women and girls across the country who are facing a monthly struggle to access the products they need.” Lennon hopes that the country can end period poverty and "make Scotland an example to the world on menstrual health.”
WHY "DAYS?"
Did you ever wonder why our nonprofit is called "Days for Girls? Days for Girls was so named because a DFG kit provides a girl with the means to stay active every day, even during her period, so she can stay in school and play sports and anything else she wants to do with her days. Too many girls currently have to sit at home alone due to lack of options for menstrual hygiene management. To me, the most impressive benefit is the ability to attend school. That has so many repercussions for the girl, her family, her community and future generations. This article in the Washington Post is only one of many reporting studies that show that the single biggest factor affecting child mortality is the educational level of the mother.A MESSAGE FROM CELESTE MERGENS
When we think about how many girls and women are going without hygiene solutions in the world, the task ahead may seem daunting. However, when we think about how simple the solution is - that with each Kit we can give back days of health, education, and opportunity - we can recognize that this issue is entirely solvable in our lifetimes. Let's go team! #MenstruationMatters#WeAreDaysForGirlsDO YOU SERGE?
One of our Days for Girls leaders does serge a lot and says even she learned something from this video. She said she had it playing the in background and would pay attention when she heard something she didn't already know.
I found this vid very informative:
youtu.be/wfiHuDLCcKY
Let it play in the background while you do something else, and pay closer attention if you hear anything intriguing. I learned a few new things, and I've been serging for 2+ years.
youtu.be/wfiHuDLCcKY
Let it play in the background while you do something else, and pay closer attention if you hear anything intriguing. I learned a few new things, and I've been serging for 2+ years.
I think it would still feel like a lot (an hour tutorial just for threading fundamentals?!) to take in when I was new to serging, but at this point most of what I heard was comfortably familiar.
